mikep

My wife and I will be dropping the kids at my mother's house in Madison and dining at Scalini Fedeli in Chatham.I know most of you aren't big fans,but I happen to love Scalini. And my wife is always extra happy after we dine there.

I have lived in Livingston for 5 years, but have a business in East Hanover and my biggest customer base is here.I knew what I was getting into when I was looking for a house but decided the school system was worth dealing with the residents.Whenever I tell people I live here they get a shocked look and the usual response of "tough crowd"or how can you deal woth the rudeness of the people in shop rite.Some of my neighbors drive away from Livingston to do their shopping.I think it is the same with restaurants.Livingstonians enjoy being seen at Neros,the Ritz,Eppes and the like,while newer restaurants never get to see the crowds.I am just hoping that if a Really good restaurant takes space in the center that it will be supported so it will have a chance for survival.Zen seems to always be busy and should be since they have the best sushi in this area by far.

Wife and I are throwing a christmas party/Hopkins-Taylor dinner at our home and she has asked me to come up with the wines.Any recomendations would be greatly appreciated. 1st-Cheese Tray,Stuffed mushrooms,sausage balls(spicy) 2nd-Gnocchi w Oxtail Ragu 3rd-Veal Marsala,Shrimp Scampi,Crown Roast of Pork desserts-usual christmas sludge brought by guests. Again thanks to all in advance Ps Dont want to break the bank as it is a party for 12 and we still have 2 more christmas parties to host Mike

Just came home from dinner at Scalini.Honestly,after reading the posts on this thread,I was expecting the worst.Our dinner was absolutely wonderful.The service was great.The food was even better.More details tommorrow after I get some sleep.Still what I consider the best italian restaurant in the area along with Fascino. Mike

I was just wondering why there is so little mention of what I consider one of the best restaurants in New Jersey.Has anyone been there recently.I will be there on Saturday and was wondering if anyone had any any recomendations on food and wine pairings. Mike

Decided to take a chance that a 5:45 reservation at Babbo is early enough to jump on the subway and stll make the 8:00 start.Thanks for the suggestions though.I will be trying out Ouest and Onera in August.My wife prefers "safer food"before the show.Ill report back on the evening.Again thanks. MIke

Price doesn't matter,would rather not have to "get dressed" as we'll be sitting through a three hour concert.Date is Aug.9.Show is from 8-11.We can be in the city as early as 5,and leave whenever.Im not sure if dining after is even a possibility but we are game for any time,any cuisine.The more daring the better.

Taking(well,actually dragging) my wife to see Meat Loaf at the Beacon Theater and I promised to bring her in for a great meal.My question is,on a Friday night where is a good restaurant to go and is it better to go before or after an 8 o'clock show.Really wanted to go to Babbo but am thinking it may be tough to get a meal in and then trek the 60 blocks over.Any reccomendations would be very appreciated.We will de driving in from Jersey. Thanks Mike

Here's the deal.Eight of us getting together.Finally have a babysitter,so I want to really enjoy the night out.I live in Livingston,but we have couples from Bloomfield,Paramus and Ridgewood.The night is Oct.30th,according to opentable Fascino(my first choice)has no tables for eight.I want a truly memorable meal.I as thinking Rocca,but the drive home for me might be a little long after the wine consumption.Also,I am looking for some help with wines that would go good with any of the meal choices.Any type of food is cool though I would rather not do chinese or sushi.We have a couple of baloney eaters but I dont concern myself with their needs(they can stop at Mickey D's on the way).Thanks Mike

I am going to my sister's house in Rockville,MD for Labor Day weekend.Looking for a real good restaurant.Any cuisine other than indian,chinese, and japanese.Thanks for any help.Price doesnt matter. --- [Editor's note: Hi MikeP - I merged this in with an existing thread on Rockville. Let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers, Rocks.]

This Johnny and Hanges is fairly new.Approximately two years old.The original was in Paterson,just over the bridge from Hawthorne.I know,because having grown up in Glen Rock,I cut many a class to go to the old J&H's.They were of legend in that area.When my brother and I found out they re-openened,we were thrilled with nostalgia.Not to mention how fond we were of the dogs,and all the way fries.Unfortunately,the new place is a shell of the former.I still think its better than the areas other dog joints(G.Grill,Clixes,and the like all over Clifton area).If you could have tasted 2 all the way dogs with white american cheese and an all the way fries back in the day,you would have had 25 cut days senior year as I did. Still frequent the place witht the family on an occasional Sunday afternoon as my wife was not a fan of Rutt's Hut.Not big on the relish I guess.Oh well.Not grounds for a divorce I guess.

I have not been to Il Ripasso.Perhaps next weekend.Having moved to Livingston 2 yrs ago,I am just getting around to the restaurants in town.Although my business is in neighboring East Hanover for the last 11 years,in the past I ventured away from the area looking for good meals.Now that I have"settled in"I am trying to find a good local place to enjoy a meal.I thought Il Vicolo was very good and look forward to Ripasso as well.As great a town as Livingston is,l the lack of a true"downtown"hurts its lure.One place that I will not return to is Nero's,a nice place to show off your car,and certainly popular with the more affluent town folk,but for me it was below average across the boards. Mike(searching for that perfect oyster stop)

Just returned from Il Vicolo in Livingston and I have to say it was a very good meal.The service was good although the servers could have been friendlier(an occasional smile would have been nice.My wife started with th insalata di casa(which I explained to her was the house salad).It was suprisingly very good.They add an herb,I believe rosemary, to the dressing which gave it a nice subtle bite that struck a good spot in both of us.I started with a raw oysters on the half shell/smoked salmon appetizer that was good but not great.I am thinking of giving up on finding great raw oysters in the area(they just dont exist around here).My daughter,who although being half italian,half filipino still isnt big on flavor,had gnocchi with butter(no sauce).As I tried the first gnocchi,I was shocked at being brought back to mi nonna's basement kitchen just after she put the dumplings into the boiling water.A beautiful mix of semolina and potato.My wife had the veal Benito which was very good.I had a soft shell crab special that was the first dish outside of home that actually had flavor past the shell of the crab.Usually restaurants leave the flavor to the crab which in my opinion has too much of a shell taste.This entree was fantastic.The desserts,flan and a bannana dish which I cant comment on since my 8 1/2 month pregnant wife gobbled up without sharing seemed to hit the right spot in the wife and kid.At this point the montivideo red that I brought was gone and I was just happy.Happy with the food,happy with my family,hell just happy to be me.If I learned anything at all from E-Gullet its that good wine and a good meal are heaven.Shared with family,there is nothing better. The only thing I didn't like about Il Vicolo was that the entire place semmed to be filled with senior citizens.Not really a problem,but it seemed like a whole generation,my whole generation,was missing out on a very good dining experience.Maybe the Jet Set crowd was in Millburn,Madison or took the hike to Montclair.Maybe this was a hole in the wall that only the golden oldies and I could enjoy.Thats cool.Just wish more of the "beautiful people" could enjoy small "town" establishments without worrying about name recognition.Oh well,I have said my piece.Maybe a little long winded, but someone had to kill the bottle,and the pregnant wife couldn't do it so I stepped up to the plate.I apologize in advance for the length and coherentness of my ramblings. Mike

Notrh Jersey.I have ties in Glen Rock/Ridgewoon and I currently live in Livingston.Anywhere in between is great. Thanks